When Shreveport police went to arrest a man wanted for armed robbery, they found something else at his property: what officers believed were signs of animal abuse. They called in Caddo Parish Animal Control, and an animal control officer filed a separate arrest affidavit charging the man, Robert Carmack, based on what was observed.

Animals cannot call for help. They cannot testify, and they cannot speak up for themselves. That is exactly why this charge cannot become an afterthought buried under a bigger criminal case.

Carmack is also charged with armed robbery. When a case carries more than one charge, there is a real risk that the animal abuse count gets quietly traded away in a plea deal. The animals connected to this case deserve better than that.

Supporters are calling on the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office to prosecute the animal abuse charge fully and, if there is a conviction, to ask the court to bar Carmack from owning or living with animals in the future. A ban like this is one of the clearest ways to protect animals from harm going forward.

They are also calling on Caddo Parish Animal Control to make sure any animals connected to the case receive veterinary care and a real chance at a safe, loving home, rather than being sent back.

Carmack has been charged, not convicted, and he is entitled to his day in court. But the animals deserve a case that is taken seriously from start to finish.

Sign the petition to tell the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office that animal abuse in Shreveport must be prosecuted fully, before these animals are forgotten.